Selling and Buying a Home
Real-life advice for buying and selling a home
Welcome to the Selling and Buying a Home blog.
My name is Leah Ingram, and, together with my husband, I’ve bought and sold seven homes in the past 20 years. One of those homes we built new.
My husband and I are also the DIY type. We’ve renovated nearly every home we’ve owned. This includes upgrading bathrooms, redoing a kitchen down to the studs and painting a home, top to bottom.
In addition to my personal experience as a homeowner, I’m a writer that has covered real estate for national publications.
For more than a decade I wrote about celebrity real estate, home-buying trends, money-saving tips for moving, curb appeal and more for NBC Universal and Parade Magazine.
Now I’m bringing my aspirational but authoritative and approachable take on selling and buying a home to my own blog. I’m going to share with you what works (and what doesn’t ) when selling a home as well as when you’re buying a home.
Rather than telling you what you want to hear, I’m going to tell you what you need to hear if you want to get a good price on a home you’re selling or buying. Basically, I’m going to cut through the BS and give you real-life, attainable advice that’s applicable to both buyers and sellers.
However, this is hardly my only blog. I’ve been covering personal finance for nearly as long as I’ve been selling and buying homes. Once we were suddenly frugal. These days we’re real sophisticated consumers.
You’re welcome to read my other blog The Real Sophisticated Consumer here.
6 Questions to Ask When Hiring a Realtor
Do you know what questions to ask when hiring a Realtor? This is something you have to consider, whether you’re getting ready to sell your home or buy a new one–or both. Whether you’re a buyer or a seller, chances are you’re going to be…
How to Write a Real Estate Listing
When it comes to how to write a real estate listing, there are a few things to keep in mind. One, if you’re using a Realtor or real estate agent, they will be the one to write the listing. However, that doesn’t mean that you,…
Real Estate Open House Mistakes Sellers Should Avoid
When my husband and I were shopping for a new house many years ago, we attended an open house that a real estate agent was holding in a nearby neighborhood. The house itself was lovely. It was a five-bedroom home on two acres of land…
House Showing Checklist
When we were selling our home in New Jersey, there were a number of times when we needed a house showing checklist. Why? Because we were traveling, and our college-aged daughter was staying with our dogs while we were away. With the chance that our…
Selling a Home Checklist
I’ve put together this selling a home checklist so you can get your house on the market fast and sell it for top dollar.
Advice for Buyers in a Bidding War on a House
I bring you this article of advice for buyers in a bidding war on a house as someone who just went through just that–trying to buy a house in a bidding war. Of the seven homes my husband and I have bought and sold, this…
What You Need to Know About Selling a Home in Winter
If I told you that selling a home in the winter was a good idea, would you think I was crazy? For longest time I thought it was a crazy notion. I figured that your chances for selling a house in winter were practically zero….
Cheap Ways to Improve Curb Appeal on a Budget
One of the last things you may think about when getting your home ready to sell is improving your curb appeal. But don’t leave it to the last minute. There are truly cheap ways to improve your home’s curb appeal. Having a home with good…
What is Greige Color
The first time I asked the question, “What is greige color?” was when we were selling a home a few years ago. This was our house at the New Jersey shore. We knew that the whole interior of the home needed a fresh paint job….
Who am I?
I’m Leah Ingram, homeowner seven times over, author of 15 books and journalist, formerly covering real estate for NBC Universal and Parade Magazine.